In trauma cases involving bone fracture, such as peri-articular and comminuted (multi-part) fractures, the bone fracture can produce multiple bone fragments. In operation, these fragments can be reduced and temporarily secured together prior to more permanently fixing the bone fragments together. It is important for bone fragments to be closely reassembled for proper healing to occur. Conventionally, temporary fixation can be accomplished using various external fixation devices, such as clamps, and internal fixation devices such as pins and wires. As the bone fragments are put back together, temporary fixation can be achieved.
External fixation devices, such as clamps, are bulky and may require invasive surgical procedures. Also, internal fixation devices can be difficult to drive into the bone fragments and can extend externally from the bone fragments interferring with external plating for permanent fixation. For example, pilot holes can be drilled in the bones and a metal wire can be passed through the pilot holes. The wires hold the bones in place while the surgeon reassembles the fractured bone elements. Wire installation can be difficult and is not a trivial task. In some examples, wires can include a trocar tip that is used to drill through the bone and in such cases no pilot is needed. However, it can be a laborious task to slowly drill and guide the wires through the bone.
Permanent fixation for healing can be achieved with the use of bone plates and screws. For example, bone plate can be placed on the exterior of the bones and screws are inserted through the plate and into the bone to hold the pieces together. For the temporary fixation provided by the wires to be effective, they are typically located closely to where the plates and screws need to be located. As such, there is a significant amount of pre-planning required for precise wire placement that will not interfere with the permanent means of fixation, For example, wires can be bent, removed, and repositioned so that the plates can be applied effectively. Removal of the wires requires the reattachment of the installation tool which requires that the wires be unbent and straightened. The process of bending, re-bending, and un-bending the wires can be inconvenient and is also a waste of precious operating room time. Many aspects of using wires as temporary fixation in conventional methods adds to the total time spent in the surgery, from arduous drilling and challenging placement to difficult removal.